Expected level is cut endlessly (3)
I believe the answer is:
par
'expected level' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)
'cut endlessly' is the wordplay.
'cut' becomes 'pare' (I've seen this before).
'endlessly' means to remove the last letter.
'pare' with its last letter removed is 'PAR'.
'is' acts as a link.
(Other definitions for par that I've seen before include "Standard score for golfers" , "Average standard" , "Rating of strokes required for hole (golf)" , "Normal golfing score" , "Average score for round of golf" .)